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Walking into Pia Roselle Panaligan’s third-floor apartment at 10th and Federal streets is like entering the world of a pop-culture junkie. Stacks of "Grey’s Anatomy" DVDs and Disney movies crowd the shelves below a James Dean clock.
Once seated on the couch, subtle Asian influences come to light, a reflection of Panaligan’s first eight years living in the Philippines.
But the light pumpkin-orange wall holds the true key. Bolts of fabric and piles of yarn hide below a sewing machine and peek out from behind a cloth mannequin. This is the 24-year-old’s sanctuary where she culls the multiple dimensions of her life into her designs.
Along with fellow Philadelphia University student Andrea Heim, Panaligan is putting her education to work, or rather, having it walk down the runway Sept. 13 at the 10:30 p.m. Dirty Deeds Rock ‘n’ Roll Fashion Show at 119 South St., outside Tori’s Brickhouse. This is the first event of its kind at Tori’s and the third venue for local fashion shows this year — the two previous held at Valanni Restaurant and 32 Degrees Lounge. DJ Darrel Asbury will spin tracks from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Fellow designer Melanie Stedje and Heim — who were tapped by event producer Sutton Public Relations to feature fashions in the two previous shows — pulled Panaligan into the event.
For Panaligan, who graduated in August 2006, the clash of elements in her home adds personality and reflects in the clothing she creates.
"I would get something because it’s got nice detail. Kind of like this postcard," she said picking up a brown rectangle with a Japanese design reminiscent of well-known pop artist Yoshitomo Nara. "Like how it has stitching on it. I would get a shirt because it has interesting stitching."
Her interest in film has influenced her line — appropriately named Juke Box Jamboree — that she describes as having a "rockabilly theme" reflective of the 1990 film "Cry-Baby" with a hint of David Bowie. A dress styled like the body of an electric guitar with hot pink and black detail will be shown with pieces from Panaligan’s other lines, including a multi-layered plaid dress inspired by American designer Charles James, a sushi-inspired couture — made to look like rice and seaweed worked around a tomato-red fabric that serves as the collection’s base — and her all-black wear, which totals 13 to 14 pieces she plans on debuting.
Panaligan’s — who describes the line’s overall style as couture — specialty is draping, which she said is "manipulating fabric on a form in the way you want it to flow with the body, after which you can lay it on paper and do pattern-making." Ironically, it was initially difficult for her to master pattern-making even though she was taught by her grandmother, who studied to become a tailor and seamstress. Her grandmother never completed her education at the vocational school, choosing instead to raise a family, but Panaligan credits her for sparking her interest in fashion design at an early age.
A few blocks away, Heim’s living canvas is more bare. Having just moved into her apartment at 10th and Fitzwater streets, the walls are blank, but she has no problem showing off her style by donning a fitted vest she designed. The earthy browns and greens are a step "outside the box" for the 24-year-old whose signature color is purple, although it’s not a hue she chooses for herself when shopping.
Like her peer, aspects that define Heim’s character, mainly music, are her inspiration. "Sometimes I’ll just put my headphones on and start sketching and something just comes out," she said.
Favorite genres include indie and classic rock and retro, citing The Beatles as a group always in rotation. While rock ‘n’ roll influences her DreaFrances line — a combination of her first and middle names — there is more than just one type of music out there. Various genres play into her work, including her Broken Music Box collection shown at a local charity event earlier this year. The details and design of the latter, including the vest, were inspired by wood inlay.
While purple doesn’t figure prominently into her latest pieces, Heim does stick to a tailored, figure-flattering look in her line.
"I prefer more body-conscious things," she said. "I tend to want to show off what you have more so than cover you up. And I like to do it tastefully. I’m not all about lace up the sides."
As for the line, which is a mix of pants, skirts and dresses, "It’s kind of funky, but sophisticated," she said. "You got edge, but you’re growing up so you’re not wearing the same things you would before. It’s kind of bridging the gap between being young and carefree and starting to be a businesswoman."
Barbie got Heim on the road to fashion, but her business side emerged while as a child she played with friends who took on the role of clients to her fashion designer. As an adult, Heim gravitated to the process of illustration. She has pages of sketches in several books that have yet to make the transition from paper to pattern, but they serve a different purpose.
"Sometimes it’s really fun when I go through and find something by a designer that’s kind of like something I sketched up that I didn’t see before I sketched it," she said. "I’m like, ‘Hey they kind of think like me,’ and it makes my day."
Both designers hail from Marlton, N.J., but went to separate high schools. Living parallel lives, the two did not meet until college. Until recently, the friends also lived separately in East Falls, but have since made the move to an area they find conducive to work, citing Fabric Row and the small shops along South Street as frequent haunts. But there were stronger draws.
"I just love the atmosphere down here," Heim said. "I just feel like there’s a lot going on and I’m happy to be part of it."
Each creates her collection in her spare time, as both maintain regular jobs: Heim managing the machinery and computers that cut patterns and markers for emergency responder uniform company Ricochet Manufacturing in East Falls; and Panaligan, a sales associate who is training to be a visual merchandiser at H&M; on Chestnut Street, where she currently assists in the design of window displays and mannequins. Ultimately, both dream of owning and selling their fashions.
New York may be the biggest outlet for aspiring designers, but neither will relocate any time soon. Both agree South Philly fits them — and their quest for inspiration — well.
"Everyone just walks around in all different styles and nobody cares," Panaligan said. "You don’t get looked down on or hear, ‘what’s she wearing?’ It’s cool, it’s a good atmosphere. People are relaxed and just do their own thing."
"I really like walking around, looking at the houses — the bricks, the textures," Heim said. "I plan on sticking around; it’s a good neighborhood."
